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advice needed

I view this site every couple of days and really enjoy it. Most of the people in here seem to be industry related and extremely knowledgable about Bourbon. I'm just a country boy from a small town in Okla. and can't tell a vanilla flavor from a smokey, dusky flavor etc. But I do know I like Bourbon, my father is a Bourbon drinker, as were my grandparents on both sides. Having grown up in a family that believed that it was only civilized to have 'cocktail hour' in the hour before dinner I have carried on this tradition. My problem is, when guests are over many of them request crown royal and I reply that I would be glad to pour them a Bourbon, scotch, or any number of vodka drinks but I do not keep crown, canadian mist or other canadian drinks in my house.
Then when I go visiting they insist I have a crown royal with them and act hurt when I tell them to pour me whatever Bourbon they have on hand, even an Old Crow or other inexpensive Bourbon. How do I reply to these people, they try to act like liquor snobs and always point out the price of their liquor.
sorry to ramble on,
signed.
DeWanzo

Re: advice needed

DeWanzo I'm a firm believer in reality therapy. Just tell them the truth. Canadian whiskeys for the most part are all cheap young blends. They lack character. Crown Royal is cheap whiskey in an expensive bottle with a lot of marketing hype behind it. The best thing about it is that it is not sc**ch.

Whenever someone asks for RC I just tell 'em "You don't want that cheap tasteless crap. Here let me pour you a good drink." Give them a nice glass of 12 year old Old Charter 'Classic 90'. Easy drinking and flavorful in a restrained/'civilized' way. Tell them how much more expensive it is to make good bourbon and of the care and expertise that goes into every bottle. Finally just state flat out that bourbon is the very best whiskey ever made by mankind.

For true 'one upmanship' break out some Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit or Rock Hill Farms. Inform them of how much more expensive your bourbon is than their cheapo bottom shelf blend - and that's all that RC is. At least you're getting your money's worth. They're just getting ripped off.

Re: advice needed

Hey Man!

a coupla things:

1) I am hardly an insider on anything. I am a 22 year old from MA, who moved to the Midwest & believes in buying local products

2) i was always brought up to believe that when you are at someone elses house you take what you are offered or abstain. NOW ON THE OTHER HAND, when you are hosting my suggestion for upstaging the Crown Royal and its FANCY-SCHMANCY packaging is Blanton's Single Barrell. It looks expensive, it IS a little pricey (about $35 here locally), and while it is complex & flavorful, it is not as overwhelming as some of the others I have tried.

Re:Blanton\'s drinkingadvice needed

Tim that glass of Blanton's on the rocks looks just fine to me. What I like best is that the label forms a convienient band about the belly of the bottle and lets you know when to stop on Saturday night so you'll have a simular amount for Sunay sippin'. I'd like to thank the good folks at Buffalo Trace for such thoughtfulness, as I find it far too easy to simply drink the whole damn bottle at one sitting. It's just that damn GOOD!

Re:Blanton\'s drinkingadvice needed

its so hard though. I have no reason to be spending that much on a drink but it tastes SOOOOOO good!! I wind up adding just a smidge more in my Blanton's glass, then a smidge more. . . . . . .Like Linn says, good thing for the line

Re:Blanton\'s drinkingadvice needed

Tim try it the other way around start with a glass of Blanton's and really enjoy it then switch off to something more affordable. It stretches your best stock and makes your everyday pour more enjoyable also!

Re: advice needed

Being a small batch bourbon drinker (Knob Creek, Bakers, Bookers - with Bakers and Bookers being my favorite), I received a bottle of Distiller's Masterpiece as a gift. My in-laws are big Crown Royal drinkers and they don't care for my taste in Bourbon - however, when I cracked the Distiller's Masterpiece recently during a celebration they tried it and said it tasted better than Crown Royal. Ironically - at the price involved it probably should - but all that did was give them a big head about their Crown tasting as good as an expensive bottle of Bourbon. Oh well.

I'll stick with the Bookers and Bakers - the Distiller's Masterpiece was too sweet for me.